In an email replied to a media agency, the airline said the flight later departed Chennai at 4.08 a.m. today and arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 10.47 a.m.

Malaysia's state news agency quoted a passenger as saying that they were told that all six lavatories were working when the flight took off but then three of them became inoperable.

A few hours later, all six lavatories could not be used. As there was still a few more hours for the journey, the pilot decided to make an unscheduled landing in India, she added.

MH19 is the new call sign for the Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur route of the Malaysian national carrier after MH17 was retired following a tragic crash in Ukraine in July 2014 that killed all 298 passengers and crew on board.